International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 4 Issue 9- Sep 2013
Generation Of Electricity Using
Vermicompost With Different Substrates
Through Single Chamber MFC Approach
Amit Prem Khare1, Dr.Hemlata Bundela2
1
M.Tech Scholar, Energy Technology,
Takshshila Institute of Engineering & Technology,
Jabalpur, M P, India.
2
Professor,
Takshshila Institute of Engineering & Technology,
Jabalpur, M P, India.
Abstract:
The application of Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) for
electricity generation has been developing recently. In
recent years, researchers have shown that MFC can be
used to produce electricity from water containing glucose,
acetate or lactate. This research explores the application of
Single chamber MFC in generating electricity using
different waste water mixed with vermicompost from
Jabalpur. In order to obtain the aim of this research, a
system of MFC with microbes has been used. Based on
the result of different types of waste water samples with
vermicompost, it found that the maximum voltage
generated among all the three combinations is 385mV at
day five by waste water of biscuit factory mixed with
vermicompost. The potential difference generated by the
MFC was measured using multimeter.
Key Words – MFC, Waste water.
I INTRODUCTION
Energy calamity in India is rising each year, as there
is constant acclivity in the price of fuels and also due
to depletion of fossil fuels to a larger level [1]. The
demand for an alternating fuel has erupted extensive
research in discovering a potential, economical and
reusable source for energy manufacture. For
constructing a sustainable world we require to
minimize the expenditure of fossil fuels as well as
the pollution generated. These two aims can be
accomplished all together by treating the waste water
(From disposing waste to using it). Industrial waste,
agricultural waste and household waste are ideal
substrates for energy productions as they are rich in
organic contents.
MFC (Microbial fuel cell) can be best defined as a
fuel cell where microbes act as catalyst in degrading
the organic content to produce electricity. It is a
device that straight away converts microbial
metabolic or enzyme catalytic energy into electricity
by using usual electrochemical technology [2].
In direct electron transfer, there are several
microorganisms (Eg. Shewanella putrefaciens,
ISSN: 2231-5381
Geobacter sulferreducens, G. metallireducens and
Rhodoferax ferrireducens) that transfer electrons
from inside the cell to extracellular acceptors via ctype cytochromes, biofilms and highly conductive
pili (nanowires) [3]. These microorganisms have
high Coulombic efficiency and can form biofilms on
the anode surface that act as electron acceptors and
transfer electrons directly to the anode resulting in
the production of more energy [4] [5].
In indirect electron transfer, electrons from microbial
carriers are transported onto the electrode surface
either by a microorganism’s (Shewanella oneidensis,
Geothrix fermentans) own mediator which in turn
facilitate extracellular electron transfer or by added
mediators. The MFCs that use mediators as electron
shuttles are called mediator MFCs. Mediators
provide a platform for the microorganisms to
generate electrochemically active reduced products.
The reduced form of the mediator is cell permeable,
accept electrons from the electron carrier and transfer
them onto the electrode surface [6]. Usually neutral
red, thionine, methylene blue, anthraquinone-2, 6disulfonate, phenazines and iron chelates are added
to the reactor as redox mediators [7]. Various types
of the microbial fuel cell exists, differing majorly on
the source of substrates, microbes used and
mechanism of electron transfer to the anode. Based
on mechanism of electron transfer to the anode, there
are two types of microbial fuel cell which are the
mediator microbial fuel cell and the mediator-less
microbial fuel cell.
Mediator-less microbial fuel cells are use special
microbes which possess the ability to donate
electrons to the anode provided oxygen (a stronger
electrophilic agent) is absent [8],[9]. There are
variants of the mediator-less microbial fuel cell
which differ with respect to the sources of nutrient
and type of inoculum used.
Mediator-microbial fuel cells are microbial fuel cells
which use a mediator to transfer electrons produced
from the microbial metabolism of small chain
carbohydrates to the anode [10]. This is necessary
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International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 4 Issue 9- Sep 2013
because most bacteria cannot transfer electrons
directly to the anode [8]. Mediators like thionine,
methyl blue, methyl viologen and humic acid tap into
the electron transport chain and abstract electrons
(becoming reduced in the process) and carry these
electrons through the lipid membrane and the outer
cell membrane [11],[12].
II MATERIAL AND METHOD
2.1 MFC construction
2.1.1 Electrode
Carbon electrode was used at both the ends of
cathode and anode and tightly fixed with the single
container containing medium, culture and buffer.
2.1.2 Anodic Chamber
The 2 liters sterilized plastic bottle is used for this
purpose. The bottle is surface sterilized by washing
with 70% ethyl alcohol and 1% HgCl2 solution
followed by UV exposure for 15 minutes. Then the
medium was filled in it. Methylene blue, waste
water sample and bacteria was added to it.
2.1.3 Salt bridge
The salt bridge was prepared by dissolving 3% agar
in 1M KCl . The mixture was boiled for 2 minutes
and casted in the PVC pipe. The salt bridge was
properly sealed and kept in refrigerator for proper
settling. The cathode was placed over the salt bridge.
2.1.4 Substracts
There are different types of substrates has been used.
In my study, first substrates is collected from Waste
water of biscuit factory Jabalpur, second is the waste
water from potato processing factory Jabalpur and
third substrates is cow dung has been used. It
contains organic matter like starch , glucose, and
sucrose which is used by bacteria for growth.
Vermicompost is collected from Jabalpur and it has
been mixed with all the three substrates.
Figure-1 Schematic diagram of Single chamber MFC
2.2 MFC Operation
This research intends to utilize the waste water to
generate electricity in Single chamber Microbial Fuel
Cell system. The micro organisms are used as
biocatalyst. The bacteria will convert sugar
components in the waste water into Carbon dioxide,
where in the intermediate process will be released
electron generating electricity in MFC system. The
salt bridge was cast in a PVC pipe. The cathode was
placed over the salt bridge. The substrates (waste
water) mixed with vermicompost was added in the
anodic chamber. The anodic chamber was
completely sealed to maintain anaerobic condition.
The voltage generation was recorded at daily basis
for bacterial isolate in presence of mediator. The
MFC set up was kept at static conditions.
III RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Biscuit factory mixed with Vermicompost
2.1.5 Mediator
Methylene blue is a redox indicators act as electron
shuttles that are reduced by microorganisms and
oxidized by the MFC electrodes thereby transporting
the electrons produced via biological metabolism to
the electrodes in a fuel cell.
2.1.6 Circuit Assembly
Single chamber was internally connected by salt
bridge and externally the circuit was connected with
wires which were joined to the two electrodes at its
two ends and to the multimeter by another two ends.
The potential difference generated by the Fuel Cell
was measured by using multimeter.
ISSN: 2231-5381
The voltage generation was recorded per day
throughout the week for the waste water sample of
biscuit factory mixed with vermicompost. There was
a definite increase in the voltage till the day five and
after that voltage has been decreased, as we can see
from Table-1 and Figure-2. It was observed that for a
whole week, the maximum potential 385 mV to
generate electricity at day five and minimum
potential 350 mV at day one.
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International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 4 Issue 9- Sep 2013
Table-1: Maximum Voltage generated with Waste water of biscuit
factory and Vermicompost.
Table-2: Maximum Voltage generated with Waste water of Potato
processing factory and Vermicompost
days
Maximum voltage
generated in (mV)
days
Maximum voltage
generated in (mV)
1
350
1
272
2
358
2
276
3
365
3
280
4
372
4
285
5
385
5
292
6
381
6
288
7
377
7
286
Figure-2: Graph representing voltage generated with Waste water
of biscuit factory and Vermicompost with respect to time (days).
400
385 381 377
350 358 365 372
400
Voltage (mV)
Voltage (mV)
500
Figure-3: Graph representing voltage generated with Waste water
of Potato processing factory and Vermicompost with respect to
time (days).
300
200
100
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Days
300
272 276 280 285 292 288 286
200
100
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Days
2. Potato processing factory mixed with
Vermicompost
3.3 Cow dung mixed with Vermicompost.
The voltage generation was recorded per day
throughout the week for the waste water sample of
potato processing factory mixed with vermicompost.
There was a definite increase in the voltage till the
day five and after that voltage has been decreased, as
we can see from Table-2 and Figure-3. It was
observed that for a whole week, the maximum
potential 292 mV to generate electricity at day five
and minimum potential 272 mV at day one.
The voltage generation was recorded per day
throughout the week for the sample of cow dung
mixed with vermicompost. There was a definite
increase in the voltage till the day four and after that
voltage has been decreased, as we can see from
Table-3 and Figure-4. It was observed that for a
whole week, the maximum potential 232 mV to
generate electricity at day four and minimum
potential 210 mV at day one.
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International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 4 Issue 9- Sep 2013
Table-3: Maximum Voltage generated with Cow dung and
Vermicompost.
days
Maximum voltage
generated in (mV)
1
210
2
216
3
222
4
232
5
230
6
227
7
224
IV CONCLUSION
Figure-4: Graph representing voltage generated with Cow dung
and Vermicompost with respect to time (days).
Voltage (mV)
250
Based on the result, it was found that maximum
voltage ( 385mV ) at day five was generated by the
mixture of biscuit factory with vermicompost,
maximum voltage ( 292mV ) at day five was
generated by the mixture of potato processing waste
water with vermicompost and maximum voltage
( 232mV ) at day four was generated by the mixture
of cow dung with vermicompost. The MFC was run
up to one week and the voltage was recorded daily
basis in the presence of mediator. Comparing above
all the three results we got the maximum voltage
generated is 385mV at day five.
232 230 227 224
210 216 222
200
150
Microorganisms that can combine the oxidation of
organic biomass to electron transfer to electrodes put
forward the self-sufficient systems that can
successfully convert waste organic matter and
reusable biomass into electricity. Oxidation of these
newly rigid sources of organic carbon does not
supply net carbon dioxide to the environment and
unlike hydrogen fuel cells, there is no requirement
for wide pre-handing out of the fuel or for costly
catalysts. With the suitable optimization, microbial
fuel cells might be able to power an extensive
collection of broadly used procedure. Technology of
Microbial Fuel Cell is one alternative of energy
production using renewable resource.
100
50
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1
2
3
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